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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Our Collectors' Collections!

Reminder: November is Family Blogging Month!


Mrs. Yollis' third graders read The Talking Cloth, by Rhonda Michell. The main character, Aunt Phoebe, is a collector of life. Her home is filled with souvenirs from her travels around the world. In class, we started talking about collections. It turns out many people have collections of their own. Some people arranged their collection in a mathmatical array! 



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 Mrs. Yollis' Rock Collection

Photo by Mrs. Yollis
     
 

Like Aunt Phoebe, I like to bring home a souvenir from my travels. Wherever I go, I search for rocks. Not just any rock will be included in my collection, the rock has to be heart-shaped! I discovered my first rock about fifteen years ago. At first I thought it would be difficult to locate heart-shaped rocks, but with a keen eye, it has been easy to do. My favorite rock is one that I got at Zion National Park. When I look at one of the rocks in my collection, it takes me back to the location where I found it, and that fills me with happy memories.  


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Collin's Coins

Photo by Collin 


My collection of coins is  precious to me. I have made an array with my collection, and they are in order from quarters, to nickels, to dimes, and to pennies. I have been collecting them since I was 2, but these are not all of my coins. Some of the pennies are even from 2012! Some are from the early 1900s and 1800s! My favorite coins are my dimes because I have the most of them. Below the neon yellow flashcard are some of my coins from foreign countries. My favorite coins out of those ones is my peso and euro (year-o). My parents also keep some African money in a scrap book. If you look closely at the top there is a large coin. Does anyone know how much the coin is worth or who is on it?




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Abbey's Animals

Photo by Abbey



I treasure my collection is stuffed animals.  As you can see, I have large ones and small ones. Some of you might recognize five of them in the front. They're the Sausage Racers for the Milwaukee Brewers. The sausages are from different parts of the world: Bratwurst, Polish, Itailan, Hot Dog, and Chorizo. (tree . see. oh) Have you heard of them? Out of the large animals, I cherish Mrs. Sparkles the best. I love her because she is as white and soft as a cloud. In conclusion, I fancy my collection more than anything in the world. 


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Photo by Jenna



     I collect dolls and I just love to play with them! I have all sorts of different kinds of dolls. I started collecting when I was really little. I started this main collection because when I was really little and I got my first doll I played with it a lot. Then after each year, I would keep on getting dolls on my birthdays or on holidays. Now, I can’t even keep track of them all. The ones in the picture aren’t all of them because I can’t keep track of them all. I got the dolls mostly on my birthdays or on holidays from friends and relatives. I can, however, name a couple of locations where I got some of them from: the purple doll is from Olivia’s Dollhouse and the two dolls that look kind of old are from my grandma who passed away. My two favorites are the ones I got from my grandma. They are my favorites because they help me remember her when I was really little. That is how I remember, cherish and get my dolls.

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Photo by Mallory's dad


Mallory's Doll Collection From Around the World

My collection of dolls from around the world is special to me.  I have this collection because of my great-grandmother, Elayne.  She was a travel agent and traveled all over the world. Every time she visited a foreign country, she brought an immigrant doll back for me.  I have dolls from Russia, Israel, Ireland, India, and Spain. When she visited the fiftieth state, Hawaii, she brought  a hula dancer for me.  I cherish all of them because they have traditional clothes and beautiful colors. However,  my favorite doll is the nesting doll from Russia.  I like it the best because it was my first one so I've had it the longest.  This doll collection will always be very important to me.



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Photo by Savannah's mom

      I love to collect coins from our country and from foreign countries.  When I went to Europe I was fascinated by all the different coins.  I started saving coins from all the countries I visited.  The coins in my collection are from:  Switzerland, London, Fiji, France and the United States.  My favorite coin is a silver dollar from the United States because it the biggest and shiniest coin.  I love collecting coins.  I wonder where my next coin will come from?

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Photo by Bennett


     My Skylander collection is very special to me. Skylanders is an adventure video game. Anyone can collect Skylander figures and put them on a portal. A portal is a pedestal that lights up. Once they're on the portal you become that character and can compete as them and defeat Lord Caos (kay • ohs). I collect Skylanders because I like to  defeat Lord Caos. I started to collect Skylanders when I went to my friend, Lucas' house. He had the game, and it was really incredible, so I started collecting them. Some Skylanders I've saved my allowance for and others I got as gifts. My favorite Skylander is Chop Chop  because he has a decorative sword and a magical shield. I cherish my Skylander collection.


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Photo by Kiernan's mom




     I collect colorful rocks, sea shells, foreign coins, poker chips, and Taiwanese dollars. I collect these small, medium, and large items because I like unique and shiny treasures.  I started collecting when my dad gave me some coins from Taiwan. My favorite is the 100 dollar bill from Taiwan because it is red with Chinese writing on it and an enormous temple.  I got these items from different countries, places (like the beach), and my family. I can't wait to add new treasures to my collection.
 

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Photo by Sean's mom
Sean's Priceless Pennies

I treasure my collection of souvenir pennies. My family and I started collecting souvenir pennies when we went on vacation to Las Vegas and Hearst Castle. A souvenir penny is a penny that has been pressed flat and stamped with a design from the tourist attraction. I was really little when I started collecting, but I always liked looking at them and decided to continue to collect them whenever we visited a new place. I look for penny machines everywhere we go now. It is a great way of creating memories of our trips and vacations to a lot of fun and great places. I have pennies from:  Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Sea World, Universal Studios, Morro Bay, Knott’s Berry Farm, Santa Barbara and my favorite is from Sedona, Arizona. The penny has a rattlesnake on it and they call it “The Arizona Guard Dog”. I store my penny collection in a souvenir coin album. So far I have collected 108 pennies, and I hope to collect  more on our future family trips.
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Do you collect anything?

What do you think of our vocabulary? 

23 comments:

  1. Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    I cherish your rock collection.

    I couldn't really read it because some of the words were cut off. :-(

    I noticed that some of the heart rocks were cranky like a mountain, and some of them were as smooth as a butterfly's wing.

    I treasure all of the heart shape rocks, but the grey rock with a fancy white C is my favorite. I especially enjoy seeing it because it is really smooth. What heart shape rock do you like the best?

    I also noticed that your high vocabulary was on bolt. I thought that was kind of nice. What do you think about the third grader's high vocabulary?

    Your collection-loving student,
    Heather

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @ Heather,

      Thanks for letting me know that my text was difficult to read. I just made a few adjustments. Can you read it now?

      I treasure all of my heart-shaped rocks as well. My two favorites are the one in the second row, the second rock from the left. The other one I adore is the green one on the bottom left.

      Do you collect anything?

      Your rock-loving teacher,
      Mrs. Y♥llis

      P.S. My high level vocabulary is in bold, not bolt. :-)

      Delete
    2. @ Mrs. Yollis,

      Wonderful! Now I could read it perfectly! :-D

      I can see that you like to collect souvenirs like Aunt Phobe.

      Yes, I do collect pennies like Sean. They are not only regular pennies. They are oval pennies! Do you know what they are called? Here is more information about them. They are from different places. They are made out of pennies. Do you know more facts about them?

      Wonderful holidays!
      Heather

      Delete
  2. Dear Mrs Yollis and class,

    I really enjoyed reading all about what some of you enjoy collecting.

    Must say I loved all your wonderful collections and the way you wrote about your collection was awesome. You used a wonderful selection of words to bring your collection to life.

    When I was a child I really enjoyed collecting stamps. I would make a point of placing them in a special stamp book.

    Happy collecting everyone.

    Cheers,
    AA.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Mrs Yollis and students,

    Your post about what you enjoy collecting was awesome.

    I enjoy collecting too. What I enjoy collecting are all different types of sea shells and rocks.

    My sea shells are all placed in a huge clam shell. I think I sent you a photo Mrs Yollis.

    Your vocabulary was great!

    From your pal,
    BB

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Bennett,

    Nice Skylanders! Do you have legendary Trigger Happy? Have you finished the game yet? Do you have Skylanders giants? It is a ton of fun!

    I like Skylanders, but I do not have the game. I play it at my friend's house. My best move in Skylander is lifting up a rock with a character.

    Warmly,

    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Mrs. Yollis' class,

    You have some pretty amazing collections! I'm surprised how many students collect coins. We also collect coins in our house. Each of the boys has their own quarter collection with states on the back. It was always fun to search for the necessary coins in our pockets, cars, and wallets.
    I especially love Mrs. Yollis' rock collection. I never realized there could be some many rocks shaped like hearts. I think you may have stirred an interest in me to see if I can find any on my travels.
    Mallory, when I was your age I also had a doll collection. They were dolls that represented different countries. Believe it or not, I still have the collection after all these years, and I still cherish it. Thanks for sharing your interesting collections and your terrific paragraphs describing them.

    Your fellow collector,
    Catherine
    (Bennett's mom)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    You must be very proud of your impressive collections! It was fun for me to view the varied interests you shared and see how you chose to display them.

    My special collection came about because of the kind-heartedness of my students. Over the many years I taught school, many of my students remembered me with special gifts during the holiday season. Inadvertently (unintentionally or not on purpose), I
    found myself the owner of a collection of Christmas tree ornaments which I highly-prize because each was given to me by one of my former students. As I unwrap each of these special treasures, it brings back fond memories of the student who gave it to me and the school year we both shared. The collection is varied and unique (u-neek) because the ornaments are both store-bought and homemade. For example, I have one ornament which was made from a clothespin into a colonial era "school marm" (old-fashioned type teacher), and another which is Mrs. Claus writing on an out-of-date chalkboard. I love each of my ornaments equally, because they were given to me with the happy spirit of the holiday season. They enable (allow) me to look foward to the coming holidays, while at the same time to remember wonderful memories of holidays past.

    If you do not now have a collection and are interested in beginning one, have these given you any ideas on how to start one? You may find yourself like me...a lucky recipient (receiver) of an inadvertent collection!

    Happy Holidays,
    Marsha-Collin's grandmother



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Grandma,

      Wow! what a lovely comment! My friend Ali said that you really put some hard work into your comment. After hearing your comment Ali is thinking about starting a collection. Ali is wondering what grades you taught? We're happy that they invented white boards because we don't like the sound of chalk on the board.

      Sincerely,
      C♣llin and Ali

      Delete
    2. Dear Marsha,

      We are two of Collin's friends.

      Chloe doesn't have a collection, but Katelyn does have a collection. Katelyn has a collection of sea shells. She finds them on the beach. She keeps them in a sand bucket.

      How many students did you have in your class? How many ornaments do you think you have in all?

      Warmly,
      Chl♣e and K♣telyn

      Delete
  7. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    I found the collections very interesting because I have been a collector of many things over the years. I have had coin collections, stamp collections, book collections, a computer collection and many others although I haven't had a doll collection. :)

    These days I have a DVD/BluRay collection of movies, a library of CDs and vinyl records, a rock, crystal and fossil collection, thousands of photos taken over the years and even some model trains I have collected since your age. Perhaps my favourite collection has become the memories I have gathered by commenting on blogs for students.

    Collecting is a great way of passing time. :)

    @RossMannell
    Teacher (retired), N.S.W., Australia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @ Mr. Mannell,

      Bennet and I (Abbey) also collect rocks, crystals, and fossils. Abbey sees orange rocks, black rocks, and white rocks in her backyard. She is not sure what kind of rock it is. How can you tell?

      Bennett collects shiny blue crystals, white crystals, and orange crystals. He sets them sort of an array. His favorite is the light blue crystal because it is see-through.

      What do you like to collect most?

      Sincerely,
      Abbey and Bennett

      Delete
    2. @ Mr. Mannell,

      You have a lot of interesting collections!

      Heather is a second grader and Mallory is a third grader. What grade did you teach when you were a teacher (but not retired)?

      Of course you don't collect dolls. :-) Mallory collects dolls from all around the world. Sadly, she does not have one from Australia. If you collected dolls, would you think you would have a doll from America?

      Like you, Heather collects stamps! She gets the stamps from the mail. She don't have a lot because I just started her collection. Her favorite stamp is one with a tree on it. What is your favorite stamp?

      As you can see, the third graders are grand collectors. What is your favorite collection?

      Your collection-loving friends,
      Heather and Mallory

      Delete
    3. @ Heather,

      You might not know that I collected stamps when I was in middle school. I have a few albums of stamps and they are left in China. All the stamps are at least 30 years old. I should bring them here next time when I go back to China.

      Love,
      Mom

      Delete
  8. Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class

    I love reading about the various collections. I collect Christmas tree ornaments from the different foreign countries I have visited. When I unwrap the ornaments to put on my tree each year, I remember the various trips I have made and the wonderful people I have encountered in my travels.

    Our collections give us memories. They remind us of people we have met, places we have gone, and special times. Every collection is unique and treasured.

    What does your collection give back to you?

    Sandra Zepeda, Collin's Great Aunt


    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear Mrs Yollis and Class,
    What a lot of super collections! I enjoyed looking at your photos and reading about each and every one of your different and interesting collections. I have a very large collection of books in my house!
    I was intrigued by Sean's souvenir pennies. I have seen those in a few places in England but not many - are they common in the US? Which is your most precious one?
    Regards
    Mrs Monaghan

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Mrs. Yollis and Class,
    Starting a collection can be a big decision! You have to decide what you are going to collect, where you are going to store your collection or decide how you will display it.

    I don't collect things, I collect friends. I always tell people that I have the best friend collection in the world. I have moved many, many times and am always making new friends.

    My friends are all different. They are different ages, live in different states and are different races. I always tell my children that you can never have too many friends.

    Can you count all of your friends on one hand, two hands or do you need to use your toes too?

    Best,
    Amy - Peter's Mom


    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi I am Grace and I am in Mrs Georganas's Grade 1/2 class in Stittsville. I just looked at some of the collections, and I think they are really cool. I noticed there are a lot of coin collections. My mom likes the heart shaped rocks. I liked the doll collection the best. It inspires me to make an array with some of my things. I might make one with my littlest pet shops.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear Mrs. Yollis and class,

    Collecting items of similar nature is fulfilling and rewarding.I have had stuffed animals,feathers,stones and shells,only to mention a few.My favorite is my drift wood collection.
    I envy your heart rocks Mrs. Yollis, they are perfect replicas.The skylander,coin and doll collections are quite spectacular.

    The subject has sparked renewed interest and I will be adding to my collections...(treasures).
    Search on,
    Grandma G

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @ Grandma G.,

      Daniel doesn't have a collection, but I do. Sean's collection is the last one on the collection post. He collects the flattened pennies.

      My favorite penny is the one from Sedona, Arizona, because it is a picture of a rattlesnake

      What is your favorite piece in your collection?

      Sincerely,

      Daniel Se♣n

      Delete
  13. Dear Abbey,

    I do recognize them. We go to Wisconsin every year.
    When I go to the Milwaukee Brewers game, I see them race. One time I got to play kickball with them on the field before the game.

    Do you have any nick names for them?

    Sincerely,
    Jake

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dear Collin,

    I have a quarter collection from all over the country. I have quarters from each of the 50 states. They are placed in a special map. They all have a picture on the back of each quarter. Do you have a case that you hold all your coins?


    From,
    Ryan

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Bennett,

    I can't believe just how big your Skylander collection has become. It seems you have just about every one of them. I used to have a collection when I was your age. I loved to collect baseball cards. My friends and I would save our money to buy packages of baseball cards and then spend hours looking at them, and eventually trading them. I can remember the feeling of excitement as I tore open the package and searched for a baseball card I'd been hoping for for weeks. As a matter of fact, I still have my box of baseball cards in the closet. Tucker always liked looking through them. Maybe now it should be your turn to inherit the baseball cards so you can start a new collection of your own.

    Love,
    Dad

    ReplyDelete

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